Let’s talk about new opportunities for China’s economy | The development of China’s new energy industry has made a huge contribution to the global response to climate change - Interview with Herbert Diess, former CEO of the German Volkswagen Group

Author：DavisDate：2024-5-20

    "The development of China's new energy industries such as electric vehicles, solar energy, and wind energy has made great contributions to the global response to climate change. I very much appreciate everything China has done." Chairman of the supervisory board of German chip manufacturer Infineon Technologies and former Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess said this in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency recently.

    Diess pointed out that China’s industries such as power batteries, electric vehicles, photovoltaics, wind energy and high-voltage power transmission are in a leading position in the world. “In a few decades, when humans list countries that have made outstanding contributions to global climate governance, China should be on the list. It's famous," Dees said. In Dis's eyes, the industrial cluster of new energy electric vehicles is in China, and the large-scale development of the industry helps reduce technology costs; at the same time, China provides high-quality technical support to other countries to make clean energy technology affordable in a wider range , benefiting the whole world. "China's automobile market is huge, attracting world-renowned automobile manufacturers, battery and other core parts suppliers to gather in China. At the same time, the competition in China's automobile market is fierce, driving the pace of innovation, and the research and development of key technologies such as autonomous driving are also inseparable from China." He said.

    Diess believes that China's solar energy, battery and electric vehicle industries started earlier, and the corresponding technology and industry development are more mature, giving them first-mover advantages. At the same time, the vast internal market and strong demand have helped China improve its competitiveness in the new energy industry.

    Diess concluded that if automobile companies pursue long-term success, they must develop in China, not only produce and develop locally, but also occupy a certain share of the Chinese market. "The German automobile industry is closely related to China, and multinational automobile companies continue to invest in China. From this point of view, I think the future of the German automobile industry is bright."

    Talking about the so-called "China's new energy overcapacity theory", Diess believes that China is closely connected with the global market. It is the natural tendency of international enterprises to export their products not only to the domestic market but also to other parts of the world. "Germany is an export-oriented country and we also hope to export German cars to other countries around the world," he said. Diess said: "China's electric vehicle exports will promote healthy competition, promote industrial iteration and cost reduction on a global scale, thereby improving the development trend of the entire industry. Overall, it will be of great help to global efforts to combat climate change."

.

    When it comes to new energy car companies going overseas, Diess suggested that companies should focus on the characteristics of the European market and consumers to enhance local awareness of Chinese car brands.

    Diess believes that Europe not only has a mature automobile market, but also has very distinct characteristics of consumers: because the user group is older, they pay more attention to the credibility of the automobile brand, dealers and repair and after-sales services, and make decisions than Chinese consumers. Conservative; in addition, European consumers who choose new energy models are generally not first-time car buyers. They are a more mature user group and are very concerned about the resale value of the car. "Many Chinese companies are trying to enter the European market. I think it will take more time, a consistent strategy and a little patience to gradually improve localization."

    Diess said that Chinese auto companies and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain are now investing more and more in European countries, which not only promotes local industry development and employment, but also builds a bridge for cooperation and communication between the EU and China's auto industry.